Buderus Edelstahl Schmiedetechnik is one of Germany’s largest closed-die forging producers. The business unit of Bhler-Uddeholm, a voestalpine Groub subsidiary, produces mostly commercial vehicle drivetrain and axle components. But it also designs and manufacturers quality parts for construction and agricultural machinery, offshore and mining engineering, and for general machine and control equipment engineering.
The operation also performs some precision forging and rod and tube extrusion. It specializes in producing with difficult flow properties and extremely tight tolerances in terms of fiber orientation, surface, and close weight tolerances. After forging, it offers continuous heat-treatment to achieve desired microstructural and mechanical properties.
Now, the Buderus Edelstahl Wetzlar Works is the site of a new, 80/100-MN open-die forging press. It was designed and installed by SMS Meer, and formally inaugurated in mid March. With this new capability, Buderus Edelstahl is able to forge large work-pieces — diameters up to almost 4 m — particularly to supply components power generation and other specialized machinery.
As detailed by SMS Meer, the open-die press can be operated with the 8,000-mt press force and in a slower, upsetting cycle with 10,000-mt press force.
Along with the new forging machinery, the installation included a new manipulator with a carrying force of 250 mt.
Also, together this new open-die forging press Buderus installed eight new 250-mt and one 300-mt forging furnace; a trackless transport system for ingots up to 160 t; and an oil-hydraulic system with an volume of 70,000 liters of oil.
SMS developed control panels that match organization and functions of the Wetzlar Works existing presses, thereby significantly reducing the need for operator training necessary and making it possible for the plant managers to assign workers to the new open-die press with more flexibility.